8 Key Tips For Mastering Migration

By Kyle Machado, Carbonite

There’s always new tech on the horizon driving companies to adopt new methods and more efficient ways of doing business. But IT pros know that shiny new software and hardware often mean complicated onboarding procedures.

Whether you’re working on a one-off project or just looking to improve your skills, knowing how to tackle software onboarding means becoming a pro at migration. You must know how to move critical data between programs, test a new environment and minimize downtime.  Here are 8 tips for mastering migration:

1. Don’t forget about downtime

Unexpected downtime, whether it’s from a malicious event or an IT mistake, can shutter any business. That’s why factoring in any downtime is an essential first step before deciding on how to move forward when adopting a new tool or even just migrating across existing platforms.

After all, a new system might cost less. But once downtime is factored in the price can balloon.

It’s important to know how many employees are affected and for how long. From there you can start figuring out how downtime can affect cash flow, sales or even reputation. And make sure that you also include the cost of hiring any additional help or other surprise costs like legal fees and overtime.